SYN Media

NOTICE TO SYN MEMBERS – SAVE THE DATE

Please be advised that in accordance with our constitution, the Annual General Meeting of the Student Youth Network Inc. (No. A0039919B) will be held as follows:

• Download SYN’s annual report for 2020 – 2021 here.
• Download SYN’s financial statements for 2020 – 2021 here.

Wednesday 27th October 2021 at 6:30pm online on Zoom. CLICK HERE to register your attendance and receive the meeting link. Those members who are eligible to vote and are registered to this Zoom event will be sent an additional unique link on the evening to cast their ballot during nominations.

The annual report and audited financial statements will be presented to the members, and elections for the Board of Management will be held.

The agenda and meeting papers can be downloaded at the bottom of this page, including:

• Annual General Meeting 2020 Minutes
• Nomination Form for Ordinary Board Members
• A Proxy Voting Form
• Board Member – Position Description
• Agenda for 2021’s General Meeting

If you have queries or specific topics of interest you’d like to discuss, please email General Manager, Evrim Şen, via [email protected] latest one week prior to the AGM, by the 20th of October 2021.

The 2020-21 annual report and reviewed financial statements will be published before the meeting date and made available to download at the bottom of this page.

SYN BOARD ELECTION – NOMINATIONS

Three ordinary board positions and board President are open for election onto the SYN Board of Management at the 2021 Annual General Meeting.

In accordance with SYN’s Constitution two ordinary board members and the position of President elected at the 2021 AGM must be filled by individuals under 26 years of age on the date of the 2021 Annual General Meeting. Affirmative action will be taken by the SYN Board of Management to achieve compliance with these rules if required.

To be eligible to nominate you must be a paid SYN member, signed up at least 24 hours before the AGM. If you are not a SYN volunteer or contributor but wish to nominate, please sign up as a member via the form below and send it along with your nomination form.

If you are an existing member and wish to nominate but need to renew your SYN membership, please head to members.syn.org.au. Select ‘Register’ to proceed with updating your info and sending through your payment. Please register using the email address you originally signed up to SYN with, which can be updated once you’re logged into SYN’s Members Portal platform.

The nomination form can be downloaded below. Nomination forms are due one week before the AGM, all nominations must be received by 6.30pm on Wednesday the 20th of October 2021.

If you have any further questions regarding Board nominations, please contact President Eleanor Doran via [email protected].

SYN BOARD ELECTION – VOTING

Proxy votes can be allocated (as per the proxy form) to any member attending the AGM, with the following guidelines:

• Proxy votes must be submitted 24 hours prior to the AGM; by Tuesday 26 October, 6.30pm.
• Forms can be downloaded below and submitted to General Manager, Evrim Şen, via [email protected];
• No more than three proxy votes can be allocated to any one person;

To be eligible to vote at the 2021 AGM, based off our constitution, you must be a current paid member and have:

• Been a SYN Member for at least 3 months prior to the date (registered and paid for the first time by the 27th of July 2021)
• Have not had your unpaid membership lapse for longer than 12 months (the due date for your renewal fee must not be older than the 27th of October 2020)
• Out-of-date SYN memberships that meet these criteria to vote must be renewed at least 24 hours prior to the AGM. If you need to renew your SYN membership please head to members.syn.org.au.

Select ‘Register’ to proceed with updating your info and sending through your payment. Please register using the email address you originally signed up to SYN with, which can be updated once you’re logged into SYN’s Members Portal platform.

FURTHER READING

• Check our SYN’s Current Strategic Plan for 20 -21 here.
• Read last year’s annual report here for 2019 – 2020.
• Read last year’s financials here for 2019 – 2020.

NOMINEES FOR THE SYN BOARD

Nicolas Zoumboulis – Nominated for President

I submit my nomination to be elected President of the SYN Board.

I have been a dedicated and highly involved member of the SYN community for nearly five years, as both a volunteer and Board member. I am proud to be part of an organisation that makes such a profound personal and professional mark on young people.

My experience as a volunteer informs my current Board-based decisions and ensures my views are grounded in the reality of the organisation. As a reporter and executive producer of Panorama, I learnt firsthand how SYN can prepare young people for careers in the media industry. Outside of SYN, I am a producer at SBS Insight, a role that demands skill which I largely attribute to my SYN experience.

I also understand that not all SYN members want a career in the media industry, and they are volunteers simply because they enjoy the sense of belonging. However, our organisation faces some barriers to entry, and I would work with the General Manager to address these issues and make SYN a more inclusive space.

I was elected as a Board member with the goal to restart SYN’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). I have successfully done this and ensured the RAP has become a top-down organisational priority, with the formation of the RAP working group. As President, I would continue to advance SYN’s position on our road to reconciliation, and ultimately increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on-air.

SYN must now transition out of lockdown and back into to face-to-face operations, which will entail a new set of challenges. I am confident that with my understanding of good governance and solid working relationships with Board members and the General Manager, I can help lead SYN into a prosperous future. As a member of the Board’s nomination committee, I have developed an understanding of the separate roles and skills the Board requires, and how to address any shortfalls.

This role requires a high level of commitment, and I’ve consistently shown the SYN community I am invested in its success. Considering this, I hope you will give me the opportunity to continue contributing to this incredible organisation.

Will Travers – Nominated for ordinary board member

Sarah Lewis – Nominated for ordinary board member

I would love to be a member of the SYN board to continue to build on the incredible work SYN does. 

I joined SYN in 2012 and over the years have been part of several of SYN’s radio flagship programs. I have also crewed on 1700 throughout my time at SYN, before becoming a daily producer, then Executive Producer in 2020. I co-led the 1700 team  through a challenging transition when the television studios became unavailable due  to COVID-19. I have worked consistently on my leadership skills, as I mentored other volunteers. We became innovative to keep the show running, producing almost daily content keeping the social media channel active and engaging with the online  audience.

I am dedicated, passionate and organized with a strong work ethic. Media has  always been my passion and SYN has given me an outlet to express myself, be  creative and do what I love. While on on the SYN board I hope to help create and  promote opportunities for current and prospective volunteers. I have watched SYN grow over the last decade and hope to be a part of the future development of SYN.

Dylan Storer – Nominated for ordinary board member

SYN is a proud organisation with a very special place in the Australian media and youth sectors. At our core is the belief that young people should have the power to create media, to share their voices and to have ownership of how their stories are told. I’m proud to be a member of an organisation that pushes the boundaries of media and youth excellence and I would be honoured to serve on the SYN Board.

I became a SYN member in 2015 as part of the SYN Nation project. I was creating media for a small radio station in the Kimberley and the opportunities that SYN enabled me to participate in really helped develop my skills in media, storytelling and content development. SYN has played a large part in my professional development, in the seven years since joining I haveworked as a broadcaster with ABC Kimberley & Pilbara, written for the Guardian and currently work in content development at a community radio station in Perth. I also have extensive strategic and organisational experience, currently serving as an Executive Director of UN Youth WA and as a member of UN Youth’s Reconciliation Standing Committee.

I am excited for the opportunity to bring these skills, experiences and knowledge to the SYN Board and to work together to continue to move SYN from strength to strength.

In solidarity,
Dylan Storer

Eleanor Doran – Nominated for ordinary board member

I am seeking re-election onto the SYN Board as an Ordinary Member after a successful two year term as President.

As an experienced board member,I have a great understanding of SYN and how to support the organisation strategically and operationally. I have held positions on each subcommittee giving me oversight and input into all aspects of SYN from risk and finance, to our Reconciliation Action Plan and fundraising efforts. Professionally, I work as a consultant providing strategy, design and evaluation services to a range of for purpose organisations.

I want to remain on the SYN board to support the development of our next Strategic Plan. I have been leading the work of our Strategic Planning Working Group that has been conducting interviews and collecting research to support us make decisions about post-lockdown life for SYN.

I have completed the Diploma of Governance by the Institute of Company Directors Australia and the Foundations of Governance by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. I would value the opportunity to continue to use both my experience and training to make a positive contribution to the SYN.

Thank you for considering my nomination and I hope I can continue to serve this great organisation as a dedicated board member.

Imogen Wait – Nominated for ordinary board member

I am a final year media and communications student who has volunteered as a host and executive producer at SYN throughout my degree. I have gained a range of valuable media and transferable skills through volunteering and have always enjoyed being part of the SYN community. I am passionate about community radio and SYN’s ability to be a training ground, welcoming community and innovative space within Australia’s creative and cultural sector. SYN has provided me with multiple opportunities to develop my skills over the years, and now I am starting my career in the not-for-profit sector. I am interested in learning about the governance of a not-for-profit organisation, and I want to give back to the organisation which has given me so much.

Jake Stevens – Nominated for ordinary board member

Jake Stevens has been an active member of SYN Media since February 2013. As a volunteer, he has produced and presented several seasonal radio programs—receiving a SYN Award for ‘Best Arts or Comedy Segment or Feature’ in 2020—and has held multiple leadership positions including Social Media Coordinator, Amplify Assistant Producer and, most recently, Radio Manager. Outside of SYN, Jake is undertaking a full-time internship in communications as part of his studies in the Bachelor of Media and Communication at Swinburne University, and in 2018 co-founded The Penny Mint, a collective for young writers in Melbourne’s western suburbs. With a passionate belief in the power of radio, Jake is keenly interested in the future of audio and empowering other young people through storytelling.

Jack Missen – Nominated for ordinary board member

I was a member of SYN for the better part of 6 years, having been an Executive Producer and  Talks Manager. I bring to the Board my perspectives as a past volunteer to advise the board  on what actions will, in the long term – improve the member experience.  

I have been a part of the consultation of the “Volunteer Satisfaction Survey” process which  aims to ensure that the organisation is still delivering to meet the ever-changing needs of its  members and I hope to see this project through in 2022. In addition to this: my original  objectives of making our Alumni network more accessible to members and creating a  position on the board for our Bipoc members – to diversify the people on our board has not waivered. 

As the Chair of the Nominations Sub-committee, my role is and always be to assist the board  in filling it with members that will ultimately create outcomes to diversify the pathways to  both SYN as an organisation and also access to the board, in addition to making the board  more accessible to members who are interested in building their skills and knowledge of not-for-profit governance.

I appreciate my nomination being considered.